In all honesty, I don’t want to say too much about Burlesque Classique’s Vaudevillian Romp, because I’d be cheating you out of your ticket (er, eraser). What I can tell you is that the performance is really two sides of the same coin and is entertainment at its finest.

On the burlesque side is a showcase of sultry soundtrack and snapping fingers, as performers with names like Gigi Holliday and Lola Rose strut their stuff to jazzy interpretations of “All About That Bass” and “Come Close to My Fire”. But there’s a subtlety to what otherwise might play as the out-of-focus background of some unreleased Mad Men episode — each dance presents not only a visual theme, but a style of dance as well, from ballet to tap. Muscles are tested and footwork put through the paces, as in any sport, and the end result is something tangible, real, brimming with the confidence of a well rehearsed performance.

The other side is a rich blend of puns, sleight of hand, and stand-up quality bits. The jokers are shuffled on and offstage by the emcee (May Havoc, middle name Wreak) who performs a handful of magic tricks and so-bad-they’re-good puns herself. Without a charming and encouraging emcee, a whole show can fall to pieces, and Havoc holds the reins with a firm, charismatic hand.

I could tell you more — a straightjacket escape, identical twins, an invisible egg — but again, half the fun is in the surprise, the slow, deliberate reveal of both pasty and punch line. What I will say is that this show is good old fashioned fun (for a certain age group, be well advised), a celebration of bodies of all sizes, and is guaranteed to have you loudly whistling from your seat.

I mean, hey — at what other show are you encouraged to make as much noise as you want?

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About maddie ardillo

Maddie Ardillo is an aspiring screenwriter, currently working on four prose projects, three television pilots, two feature length screenplays — and yes, a partridge in a pear tree. When out in the world, Maddie can be found ushering at a Bethesda movie theatre and getting way too passionate about the superiority of graph to college ruled paper.